Whether a toxicology screening is requested by an employer, or a health care provider, Mountain Health Clinical Solutions (MHCS) in Huntington is offering precise results within three days. This is a joint initiative owned and operated by Marshall Health and Mountain Health Network.
“Three days is a really excellent turnaround time,” said Kristen Bailey, managing toxicologist for Mountain Health. “A lot of the providers in our region were sending out those specimens to reference labs and those specimens were going to other states to be tested and we would see turnaround times typically in the seven to ten day range.”
Toxicology helps physicians understand the harmful effects that chemicals and substances can have on patients. These services are not only vital to employers, but pain management specialists advising patients of their best dosages for treatment.
“So not only are we doing clinical toxicology where we can make sure those patients are getting the treatment that they need, but we are also able to provide those workplace drug testing services to employers in the region who want to ensure they have a drug free workplace,” Bailey said.
The new system uses liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) technology to provide high sensitivity and reliable results. Bailey called the system, “the gold standard in toxicology.”
MHCS can now provide urine testing for drug misuse and free consultation and compliance monitoring services to help health care providers ensure patients are taking medications as prescribed.
“With Mountain Health Clinical Solutions we are able to keep those specimens local, we can do the work here locally and we can get those results back to the provider much more quickly,” Bailey said.